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Herschel II Project - Early Summer 15h–18h NGC 5806–6507 A photo journey of my observing adventures with EAA/CAO (electronically assisted astronomy / camera assisted observing) Observed for the Astronomical League's Herschel II Observing Program
Marie Lott, Atlanta, GA
Updated 09/23/22 01:52 AM -0000 |
Late Summer → |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations:This modest spiral galaxy has a bright round core with a diffuse envelope running N-S. The northern (top) end of the envelope is slightly squared-off; the southern tip is a bit pointed and sweeps eastward. On the east edge of the core there's a dark gap in the envelope that looks like a bite has been taken out the side. A little grey bleb (a foreground star?) is in the center of this indentation. Another obvious galaxy, NGC 5813, described below as #324, lies in the far SE (lower left) corner. of the field. | ||
| Size: | 2.1' x 1.8' | Mag: | 12.2 | Type: | E Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations:This elliptcal galaxy appears to be almost "all core", with a bright round center surrounded by a touch of faint, diffuse fuzz. Streaming down from it is a delicate ribbon of a dozen tiny stars curving gently to the right(west) and down (south).You might have to open the larger view to see these faint stars well. Other trails of faint stars can be seen in the field. A small smudge of a distant galaxy (IC 1084 , mag 15, 110Mly away) lies nearby, just to the left (east) of NGC 5812. A very bright mag 6 star lies in the lower left of the field. | ||
| Size: | 4.1' x 2.9' | Mag: | 11.5 | Type: | E Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This field is a continuation of #322 above where NGC 5806 was in the center and 5816 was in the bottom left corner. Here we have 5813 in the center, looking very similar to 5812 (#323 above). It too has a bright round core with a diffuse surrounding haze. It sits in the middle of a box of four moderately bright field stars. An upside down "V" of field stars rises up and then trails off just below it. Other small strings and angles of stars float nearby. A small faint flattened galaxy, NGC 5811, can be spotted to the west in the bottom right quadrant of the field. | ||
| Size: | 2.0' x 1.7' | Mag: | 11.5 | Type: | E Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: Bright, fat, and oval the core of this small galaxy predominates with little detail. A diffuse haze surrounds it. Two strings of evenly spaced stars drape to the right (west) out below the galaxy, like the two legs of Andromeda.The stars in the bottom string are slightly brighter than the ones in the top string. A few other strings of stars decorate the nearby area, but overall the star field is rather sparse. | ||
| Size: | 4.1' x 1.4' | Mag: | 11.9 | Type: | E-S0 Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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Observations: Much brighter and larger than the previous galaxy, this one has a luminous oval core with a pronounced haze stretching NE/SW from the core. A mag 8 star lies just off the SW tip of the galaxy; this star and the galaxy core appear similar in brightness. A much smaller galaxy, NGC 5841, can be seen in the lower east side of the field. | |
| Size: | 4.3' x 4.0' | Mag: | 10.7 | Type: | Sb Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations:Three galaxies lie along a diagonal here, with our target galaxy NGC 5850 centered in the field. A curved arc of widely spaced stars curls around above and to the side of 5850. Our galaxy has a round core with a diffuse haze immediately encircling it. However, if you zoom in and look carefully, there is a faint cross beam in the haze splaying into semi-circles out at each tip. I can imagine that this outer haze might encircle the whole galactic core like a halo, but that isn't actually detectable here. Much brighter NGC 5846 is to the west (right) of 5850, sitting on top of a star. A smaller starlike galaxy, NGC 5845, is almost at the NW edge of the field. | ||
| Size: | 2.7' x 0.7' | Mag: | 12.7 | Type: | S0-a Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This galaxy lies at a NE/SW angle in the field. It has a bright, stretched out, bulging core surrounded by a brighter inner haze enveloped by a dimmer outer haze. The brighter inner haze has a pointed appearance at the ends, especially on the western tip. A very bright mag 6.6 star sits at the bottom right of the field. Seven stars lie in a broad line lying diagonally above a parallel line formed by the bright star, two intervening stars, and the galaxy. | ||
| Size: | 3.0' x 1.6' | Mag: | 12.3 | Type: | SABc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations:What a pretty face-on galaxy! A bright round core is encircled by luminous, clumpy, almost 3-D clouds. One arm breaks off on the left side, continuing downwards. The central portion sits in a hazy pool, with most of the diffuse envelope extending broadly from the northern (top) side of the galaxy center. Some structure can be detected hidden in this cloudy haze. A bright knot. possibly a star or clump of stars, seems to be embedded at the top edge of the haze. Two other galaxies are notable in the field, along with a relatively bright mag 8 star to the NE of 5861. A semi-circle of medium bright stars curls around the galaxy on its left. | ||
| Size: | 2.7' x 0.8' | Mag: | 12.8 | Type: | S0 Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This is a nice distinct little galaxy that is easy to spot and extends diagonally from NE-SW in the field. It has a bright elongated core with a glowing inner haze surrounding it. A fainter haze continues to reach outwards all the way around. Zooming in, the inner haze appears more condensed along the galaxy's horizontal plane, with subtle hints of interior structure. The field is speckled with medium-bright stars, with several gaps of empty darkness scattered about, especially to the left and bottom right of the galaxy. | ||
| Size: | 3.5' x 1.4' | Mag: | 12.4 | Type: | Sb Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This galaxy has a bright stellar core with a two-step haze running N-S. The brighter inner portion of the envelope is a bit stubby and angles very slightly to the right, whereas the outer portion of the haze is much fainter and extremely diffuse, and is angled slightly to the left. The field is busier than the previous one, with an assortment of stars of varying magnitude. Several nice little dribbles of star strings give interest to the field. A bright mag 6.8 star is to the NE, sitting next to a cute right triangle of tiny bright stars. | ||
| Size: | 4.2'x 1.4' | Mag: | 11.5 | Type: | SBc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This elongated oval galaxy, looking like a bright piece of orzo, is aligned N-S in the field. A diffuse faint cloud surrounds it, with a little stumpy spout twisting off of the top. A mag 7.5 star, brighter and larger in diameter than this galaxy, sits just to the N and W of it. Again, more nice curving trails plus a few straight lines of field stars decorate the surroundings. | ||
| Size: | 3.1'x 1.1' | Mag: | 12.5 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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Images:25s exposures, live stacked for ~5 minutes Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: A bright tilted oval galaxy with a bulging stellar core, this one has visible knotty spots in the interior broken arms that are paired asymmetrically on either side of the core. The top portion appears torn apart and the thinner bottom portion is wispy and straggly. Very unusal structure! Several other galaxies are noted in the field, along with a blazingly bright mag 6 star. | ||
| Size: | 2.9' x 1.9' | Mag: | 12.2 | Type: | SBc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This is an angled oval galaxy with a bright compressed core. A diffuse envelope surrounds it and upon zooming in, you can just detect a hint of delicately swirling arms. I can imagine it would be quite lovely with a more advanced astrophotography setup and a longer/more nuanced exposure. A Taurus-like V string of stars sits just above center, while two very bright mag 7 stars dominate this pretty field. | ||
| Size: | 5.5'x 2.9' | Mag: | 11.9 | Type: | Sb Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: There's a string of 4 galaxies here! Our target is the simple oval one in the center. It has a bright pill-shaped core surrounded by a fuzzy bit of haze. To its left is a beautiful face-on spiral and to its right is a needle-like edge-on galaxy. And if you look even further to the right, there's a tiny little flea of a galaxy! Three star pairs in the lower center of the field remind me of the Leaps of the Gazelle around Ursa Major. More pretty dribbles and zig zags of smaller stars add to the enjoyment of the view. | ||
| Size: | 5.4' x 2.1' | Mag: | 11.7 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This is a beautiful spiral galaxy. Zoom in a just look at the detail! A small stellar core is surrounded by swirling knotty clouds of haze, with streaks and clumps twisting around to give a 3-D windswept look. Stars of various sizes fill the field, although there's a bit of a wash above (wider) and below (rounder) the galaxy. A satellite swept through the top of the frame while I was observing, and its trail can still be faintly seen. | ||
| Size: | 23" | Mag: | 13.3 | Type: | PN |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: A pretty turquoise glow is detectable evn in the wide FOV. Zooming in shows a rounded structure with white interior, bright blue fringe to the top and bottom, and much dimmer fringe to the left and right. Looks somewhat like an aquamarine iris. Two bright (mag 9) stars above the nebula combine with it to make a triangle. A trail four noticeable mag 10/11 stars make a gentle curve down from the- nebula to the bottom edge of the field. Nice. | ||
| Size: | 1.5' x 1.8' | Mag: | 12.5 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This is a pretty spiral galaxy tilted slightly away from us. Zooming in, several arms can be seen twisting around ounterclockwise in the surrounding haze. The two on the top hug closely to the centeral area; the arm to the bottom right is more diffuse and points more noticeably outward. Further out on the left side a dimmer arm can be seen, displaced from the more concentrated haze to the interior. Knots (probably stars) are evident to the left of the elongated bright core. A mag 6.7 star shines brightly in this field, just NE of the galaxy. | ||
| Size: | 2.5' x 1.3' | Mag: | 12.8 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This small dim galaxy looks likeit has been squashed. The bright core seems to have a faint twin to its upper left. The surrounding haze is asymmetrically arranged around the core(s), with the more lumious portion to the eastern (left) side. Billows of a much fainter haze can be detected looping out to the NW and even more dimly to the SE. Many pretty little strings and groupings of small stars are in this field. The two dominant stars in the field (mag 7.8 & 8.8) lie to the SW (lower right). | ||
| Size: | 1.3' x 0.8' | Mag: | 13.2 | Type: | SBbc Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This galaxy has an unusual appearance in that the bright core seems to be nestled in a triangular hazty bird's nest. It's quite three-dimensional upon zooming in. The NE (upper left) edge of its haze has an abrupt linear edge while the western side is more rounded A fainter but broad and lumpy outer envelope can be detected on the NW and W (upper right & right) side of the galaxy. Several nice strings of stars curve and dribble in the field; a string of smaller stars inches its way east-west below our galaxy like a caterpillar. | ||
| Size: | 3.2'x 1.5' | Mag: | 12.8 | Type: | E Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: Even with a high haze in the sky and a satellite whizzing by, numerous dim galaxies can be seen in this field. Our target galaxy, NGC 6166, has an oval core that looks like it has been stretched from tip to tip. Zoomming in, there are two knots visible at the left edge of the core and one on the center right. I can't tell if these are foreground stars, other tiny galaxies, or star-forming regions sitting on top of our target. A dim diffuse haze envelops it all. | ||
| Size: | 2.5'x 1.1' | Mag: | 12.5 | Type: | SAB Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations:.This small spiral galaxy is markedly elongated N-S (vertically in the field) but its core is round and bright. Swrling arms separate from the main main body at the top and the bottom, reaching outwards as they fade into the darkness. Two small stars give the appearace of being attached the top outstretched arm. I'd like to revisit this galaxy on a clearer night to try to see more detail. | ||
| Size: | 2.5' x 1.1' | Mag: | 12.9 | Type: | SBb Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This spiral galaxy has a flattened central core with a knotty appearance and skewed hazy arms. It looks windswept, with the right side angled upwards and the left side being swept left. This gives it the look of a flying wedge. Overall it seems like it has been contorted by strong forces, perhaps from the gravitational pull of aother passing galaxy in its distant past? | ||
| Size: | 3.2' x 2.9' | Mag: | 11.9 | Type: | S0-a Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: (A busy night for satellites! Caught another one in the corner here.) Galaxy NGC 6340 features a bright round stellar core surrounded by a uniform faint haze; this is a much more sedate galaxy than the previous one! A pair of relatively large but dim galaxies float overhead. Two very bright mag stars appear in the field. Of particular interest is the one immediately next to our target galaxy NGC 6340. Evidently I have caught this in outburst ! For reference, the lower bright star, HD 156011, is mag 7.4. The other star, TYC 4424-81-1, is normally mag 11+. The AAVSO classifies it as a semi-regular orange supergiant variable with a period of ~77 days. I'm eager to look at this again to see if it has returned to "dimness". | ||
| Size: | 6.0' | Mag: | 9.6 | Type: | OCl |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This cluster of 2-3 dozen stars is best picked out from the field when viewed at lower power. It is discernable here due to the slightly brighter magnitude of the component stars. Two round emptier areas of the field lie above this cluster, and when combined with a smaller horizontal empty swath below the cluster, remeind me of a a skull (empty eye sockets + slightly frowning mouth). A few other subtle voided patches are noticeable in the frame. Otherwise, the field is very busy and full of stars. | ||